Hope Has A Place
by darkaccalia520
Summary: Birthday fic for BluNephilu. Tony finds help in an unexpected place. One-shot. No slash. *COMPLETE*


**A/N: Birthday gift for BluNephilu. Hope your day is fabulous! A bit of setup for the story: post Iron Man 3 and The Winter Soldier.**

****Disclaimer******: Avengers and its characters are the property of Marvel. I am only borrowing the characters for a bit and promise to return them unharmed and in their original condition...and maybe just a bit happier.**

****Hope Has A Place****

Tony Stark groaned as he poured himself a cup of coffee, noticing the headline on this morning's newspaper: _Captain America Does It Again! _Naturally, it was about how Steve had saved the world from destruction, but Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Oh, he'd had his share of headlines, and while he thought that losing the reactor was the best thing that could've happened to him, he quickly learned it wasn't. Without that reactor, he was a nothing, a nobody, and a former has-been.

It wasn't that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't ask him for help, but it was always the monetary form. Fury called him every time they needed funding to build some sort of fan-dangled contraption. It was never for any real work. Signing checks required no real skill except a full pocketbook. _Hell, a monkey could do what I do,_ he thought bitterly.

He sighed, tossed the newspaper in the trash, and canceled all his appointments for the day. He'd been canceling appointments all month, actually. He didn't see the need to go in anyway. Pepper was running the show and doing a bang-up job. Add on her new-found superpowers, and she became more of a dynamo than she was before.

Tony, however, couldn't help but find it sickening. He was glad she'd been traveling at the moment; they'd spent most of their time arguing anyway and decided to take a break. And he couldn't bear to tell her the truth: that he felt like he wasn't good enough for her, for anyone anymore.

"Time to get on with my daily routine," he muttered as he picked up the television remote. _"...thanks to Captain America, the world is safe once again."_

"Really? You even have to ruin my favorite part of the day?" His favorite part of the day was watching _The __Price Is Right_, but it had been preempted for the world to gush about how fabulous Wing Tips was. He turned the TV off, threw the remote on the coffee table, and stared at the white ceiling above him.

Just as he was starting to doze off, there was a knock at the door. "Whoever you are, I don't want any! I've found Jesus, and I know who I'm voting for. Unless you're a Girl Scout with cookies, go away!"

Whoever it was knocked again, however, and Tony was forced to get up or he'd never get back to his busy schedule of doing nothing. "Son of a bitch," he said under his breath. "This better be good."

He threw open the door to see Steve. "Wing Tips? What are you...?"

"Long time, no see. Mind if I come in?"

Tony stood dumbly for a moment, running a hand through his disheveled hair and looking down at the stained wife beater he was wearing. "Uh, sure. If I'd have known I was having company, I'd have cleaned up a bit."

"You don't look that bad, except maybe for this." He motioned to his scraggly, unshaven face. "Went away with the goatee, I see?"

"Hey, a guy can't experiment with his looks? Besides, I'll have you know the ladies just love it."

"I'll bet."

"So, what? You come to gloat how you're the hero of the world?"

Steve's brow rose. "And why would I do that?"

"I don't know. It's just that I can't go anywhere without the media praising you. "Captain America saved the world! Captain America is so gorgeous!" He shook his head. "You take a shit, and they report it. Must be nice."

"For your information, Fury sent me."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me he wants more money. I just wrote him a huge check last month."

"No," Steve replied with a shake of his head. "He's worried about you, and so am I."

"Worried?" Tony scoffed. "Then why didn't he show up here himself?"

"Because he knew you'd give him the runaround, just like you're trying to give me."

His brow furrowed. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Whenever he calls, I'm right there to do what he needs."

"He mentioned, but he said there's not much else."

He shook his head. "It's not like he's got time for niceties either. Does he expect me to give him a sob story or what?"

Steve sighed. "Look, Fury sent me to check on you because it's apparent you've been a little...hermit-like...since the Invasion."

Tony scoffed. "I'm only hermit-like because they never call me for anything besides money." He pressed on his chest where the reactor used to be. "Guess I'm not a hot commodity anymore, if you catch my drift."

"Is that what you think? Because you lost your reactor, you're not good enough for them?"

Tony shrugged. "You said it."

"But that's what you meant. I can't believe how sel-" He crossed his arms over his chest, giving a shake of his head. "How's Pepper?"

He laughed. "Like you really want to know?"

"Sure, I do. I always liked her."

"If you must know, it's been a bit of a power struggle. In other words, she has powers and I don't, which is yet another reason why she's too good for me. We broke up."

"I'm sorry," Steve replied sincerely.

"Don't be; she's better off." He paused. "So now that you've come here, seen that I'm alive and well, you be on your way. Be sure to tell Fury I'm more than just a bank, too."

"He already knows that."

"Yeah, right," Tony muttered. "Then why am I pushed aside for every assignment? I wish he'd just tell me to my face I'm a has been instead of stringing me along."

"You think you're a has been?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter what I think." He motioned towards the window. "What matters is what _they_ think, and since it's all about you or Romanov or whoever else, they've already shown me I don't matter."

"Go get cleaned up."

A brow rose. "What?"

"Go get cleaned up," he said again. "Shower, wear something decent...and be sure to shave that mess."

"I am not going to see Fury," he protested.

"Don't worry; that's not where we're going. It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises, and I'm not moving until you tell me where the hell you want me to go."

Steve crossed his arms. "I can be just as stubborn, you know. I won't leave until you clean up." He grinned. "I wonder which of us will crack first."

After a few minutes, Tony relented. "Fine. If it'll get you off my back, I'll do it...but only so I can have some peace and quiet."

"Whatever you say." Steve moved to sit on the sofa as Tony walked towards the bathroom. "Oh, and be sure to wash behind your ears!"

"Bite me!" came Tony's retort, causing Steve to laugh softly.

"Same old Tony," he said with a shake of his head. "He just needs to be reminded he hasn't changed."

_-A-_

One hour later, Steve and Tony were walking through the crowded New York streets.

"So what sort of torture chamber are you taking me to?"

"After all the time we've known each other, you think I'd do that to you?"

Tony shrugged. "I've come to always expect the worst from people lately; that way you don't get disappointed."

"If you must know," Steve replied, "you're going to help me with an appearance."

"You mean a media appearance where they gush over you?" He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You can't count me out."

Steve grabbed his arm. "No, that's not what it is. Besides, we're here."

His brow furrowed when he realized they were standing outside the children's hospital. "What's this all about?"

"The kids," Steve said as he pulled him through the doors. "Contrary to what you might think, I'm not out there posing for the cameras. I don't even want them writing stories about me; I just don't have a choice. And I thought I'd bring you along to show you you're not a has-been."

Tony shook his head. "And how is this going to-"

"Just follow me," Steve told him, walking towards the elevator.

_-A-_

As soon as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Steve and Tony entered a long, white hallway.

"Just pick a room," Steve told him and began walking away.

Tony ran after him. "What do you mean pick a room?"

Steve sighed. "These are sick kids, Tony. Pick a room and visit with them. It's not rocket science." He turned and walked to a nearby room.

"Cap!" he heard a boy's voice cry out.

"Hey, Trevor; how are you, buddy?" he heard Steve say before shutting the door behind him.

Tony stood dumbfounded for a moment. He'd never been in a children's hospital before. Oh, he'd given many donations to them, but he'd never visited. He wasn't sure what to expect, and he was almost afraid to move until an older nurse approached him.

"Are you lost, sir?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all. Thank you."

She gave him a kind smile and turned down the hallway. He sighed, knowing it was now or never; his feet felt like stone as he slowly walked towards a nearby open door.

He paused in the doorway and saw a little boy with tubes sticking out of him. Tony felt his heart sink and was about to walk away when the boy looked up.

"Hey, you're Iron Man!"

"Uh, yeah," Tony said, taking a step into the room. "Yeah, I am, kid. You can call me Tony, though."

"My name's Jonathan," he replied. "Cap said he'd bring some of his friends sometime." He reached over to a table near the bed and grabbed a deck of cards. "Want to play Go Fish?"

"Sure, I...I love Go Fish." Tony took a seat near the bed. Maybe this wasn't so hard after all; he didn't really have to do much at all; the kid did all the work for him.

Jonathan dealt the cards and the game started. "Got any threes?"

"Go fish," Tony said.

"So what's it like being a superhero?"

"What?"

"What's it like?" he asked again. "It's your turn, by the way."

"Oh...do you have any sevens?" The boy handed him a card. "And I'm not much of a superhero anymore."

"Sure you are; you're Iron Man. You saved New York from the Chitauri Invasion...and you-"

Tony held up his hand. "I didn't do that all alone."

"It's still you're turn, you know. When you get a card from the other player, you get to go again." He shrugged. "And that doesn't matter. I still think it's cool. Don't you?"

"I guess I never thought about it. What about any fives?"

"Go fish."

"Well, I think it's pretty amazing. I bet a lot of other people do, too. Got any eights?"

Tony handed him a card. "I really don't know what anyone thinks anymore. Since I lost my arc reactor, I don't get a chance to be in the spotlight much."

A brow rose. "So you think because you don't have that thing in your chest anymore, no one likes you?"

"I didn't say that. Did I say that? And isn't it your turn?"

"What about twos? And you didn't have to say it; I can see it in your eyes."

"Go fish. What are you, like five? You don't know what you see in my eyes."

Jonathan sat up straighter. "For your information, I'm ten...and I know a little something about losing a part of your body too." He sat back against his pillow. "It's your turn."

"Sixes then?"

The boy handed him a card.

"So you going to tell me?"

He sighed. "I was born with only one kidney. No one knew until I started having problems last year. People can live just fine with one kidney, unless that kidney has a malfunction. Now I have to come here for dialysis every other day." He shrugged. "It's not so bad, and they're going to find me a new kidney soon. But just because I only have one kidney, that doesn't mean I'm not Jonathan. And not having that reactor...it doesn't mean you're not Tony or Iron Man."

"Tens."

"Go fish. So you going to be okay?"

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Cap told me you were having some issues."

"How would he..." He sighed. "Is nothing private here?"

"It's not his fault. I asked him. I ask about you every time he comes here."

"You...you do?"

He nodded. "You're my favorite Avenger. I've always liked you...and I was upset when I heard you were sad. Steve said you've been sad for a while."

"Yeah, I guess I have," he finally admitted. "I felt like no one cared about me anymore."

"You know that's not true. Reactor or not, you're still a hero. You're my hero."

Tony took his hand. "No, kid, you're my hero." He looked at the cards in his hand. "Do you mind if I take a rain check on the game?"

"Only if you come back tomorrow."

"Deal. I just need to thank a good friend." He stood and walked into the hallway to find Steve standing there, a grin on his face.

"You certainly look proud of yourself," Tony commented.

"Shouldn't I be? I think my plan worked."

He pointed a thumb towards Jonathan's room. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough. Jonathan and I have been talking about you for a few weeks now."

Tony nodded. "So he mentioned. What I don't understand is why you had to bring me here. Why didn't you just tell me yourself?"

"I tried," he pointed out. "Fury said he did too." He shook his head. "The only one who thought you were a has been is _you_. You'd lost all hope, and I thought I'd bring you to a place where I know it still lives."

"The children's hospital. You come here pretty often then?"

"Nearly every day. The kids need something to look forward to."

Tony nodded. "And so do I. I think I'll be spending a lot of time here from now on. Thanks for showing me where I could find hope again, Wing Tips."

"Anytime, Tony, anytime."


End file.
